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About 500 plush dogs and cats are spread out with help from Lackawanna County Sheriff’s Department Cpl. Corey Cavalieri on Thursday at the Aaron Center in Dickson City, with more stuffed animals to be donated in the next few weeks.
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On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Joseph P. McDonald manned the switchboard at Fort Shafter in Hawaii when he received the alarming message that radar had detected a large number of planes approaching from the north, heading fast for Oahu.
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Keri Tucker, Jason Dominick’s love interest of five years, never once saw the 24-year-old handle a gun, she testified Thursday.

She could think of only one person providing a gun if Mr. Dominick had one.

“The only one I really know that would have one would be Neil,” she said.

Whether or not 23-year-old Neil Pal supplied Mr. Dominick the gun used to shoot and kill Frank Bonacci, 24, has been at the heart of Mr. Pal’s homicide trial, which entered its fourth day Thursday.

Police charged Mr. Pal, of Scranton, with first- and third-degree murder as an accomplice and related conspiracy charges. Mr. Dominick was charged as the triggerman and convicted last month of third-degree murder and conspiracy.

The gun used to kill Mr. Bonacci after an all-night drinking party at Mr. Pal’s house on July 20 was never found. The bullet removed from the Dunmore man’s head may have been fired from a .38-caliber handgun.

Mr. Pal had a .38-caliber firearm, testified Cameron Kashmer on Thursday. Mr. Kashmer gave the gun to Mr. Pal in March 2013 to help pay off a roughly $900 gambling debt he owed Mr. Pal. He bought it from an unknown man in Mr. Pal’s garage in late 2012 or early 2013.

Mr. Pal made sure the gun worked. He loaded one round into the cylinder, took aim at a $50 bill poster hanging on a wall in his garage and squeezed the trigger. The gun fired, Mr. Kashmer said.

Mr. Kashmer never saw the gun again after that. The revolver was never accounted for when Mr. Pal was arrested by Scranton police in August.

“It was pretty easy for you to get a .38 off the street, correct?” Defense attorney Matt Comerford asked Mr. Kashmer.

In cross-examination with Ms. Tucker, defense attorney Paul Walker presented her with a record of sales query showing four firearms registered to Jason Dominick’s father. The record revealed Joseph Dominick owned a .38 caliber gun. That detail did not come up in Jason Dominick’s trial.

‘Waste of time’

Mr. Pal was part of a search party that came close to Mr. Bonacci’s body, but they turned back when Mr. Pal said further scouring of the area would be a “waste of time,” two members of his search party testified Thursday.

Ashley Levandoski and Monica Rinaldi testified Thursday that Mr. Pal came with them to search the area around Nay Aug Park in Scranton on July 23.

They made their way to a park overlook, which gave a wide view of the train tracks off the Roaring Brook near the Step Falls section and the train tunnel just a little bit beyond the actual falls. Ms. Rinaldi had the idea to check out the Step Falls section, she testified.

They made their way to an access point to the area near the train tracks and saw another search party walking back. Mr. Pal asked them if they had searched the area and they said they had.

Ms. Rinaldi wanted to check it anyway.

“I said that I would prefer to go back and look because we might be able to cover more ground than who was down there,” Ms. Rinaldi said. “But (Mr. Pal) said there was no point.”

On the stand Thursday, Ms. Tucker described Mr. Dominick as jealous and obsessive, calling her relationship with Mr. Dominick exhausting because there was “no trust.”

Mr. Dominick and Mr. Bonacci nearly had a fistfight in June near the Step Falls section. They argued over an encounter with Ms. Tucker at a bar and Mr. Dominick asked for a fight, Ms. Tucker said.

Mr. Pal was not at the bar that night, Ms. Tucker testified, but he joined Mr. Dominick as he prepared to fight. Mr. Pal told Mr. Bonacci over the phone the fight would be a fair one-on-one.

Mr. Bonacci did not show up.

A peace between the two was made two days later at Mr. Pal’s house.

Prosecutors also played a phone call between Ms. Tucker and Mr. Dominick that police recorded shortly after Mr. Bonacci was discovered. Mr. Dominick did not know the call was recorded.

In it, Ms. Tucker voiced suspicions about Mr. Dominick’s involvement in Frank Bonacci’s death and Mr. Dominick became defensive.

Mr. Dominick also said Mr. Pal “loved” Mr. Bonacci and was a friend.

Mr. Walker pointed to additional text messages between Mr. Dominick and Ms. Tucker that demonstrated themes of mistrust, jealousy and anger in their relationship. Mr. Dominick would sometimes threaten suicide to catch her attention, she said. She believes he threatened to kill himself after a fight early on July 19.

“We know he has the intent and the mind set to commit some violent act,” Mr. Walker said. “Whether it’s suicide or otherwise.”

Mr. Walker pointed out that, rather than calling Mr. Pal, Mr. Dominick called long-time friend Matt Bernardi 42 times in two hours after he made the suicidal remarks to Ms. Tucker.

Mr. Talerico also asked if there was a hierarchy between Mr. Dominick and Mr. Pal.

The fourth day of a Scranton man’s homicide trial opened with testimony from the shooting victim’s uncle.

Jim Bonacci read a series of Facebook messages he exchanged with 23-year-old Neil Pal after his nephew, Frank Bonacci, was reported missing, including several where Mr. Pal asked if police had any updates.

Mr. Pal is charged with first- and third-degree murder as an accomplice and related conspiracy charges in Mr. Bonacci’s shooting death.

Ashley Levandoski and Monica Rinaldi testified about their participation in a search party with Mr. Pal. They said he addressed a group of 30-50 people who gathered to search, discussing the last time Mr. Bonacci was seen at his home.

Ms. Levandoski and Ms. Rinaldi said Mr. Pal then drove them and other friends to hand out missing-person fliers, before Ms. Rinaldi suggested searching the step falls area.

When they arrived, another search party was leaving the area. Mr. Pal said additional searches would be a waste of time, so despite Ms. Rinaldi’s interest in continuing the search, they left the area.

— REBEKAH BROWN

What’s next

The trial will continue Monday with testimony from:

■Courtlind Davis, a close friend of Mr. Bonacci who created a Facebook group to organize search parties.

■Detective Michael Schultz, one of the investigators on the case.

■Daniel Miller, a friend of Mr. Bonacci who called 911 after he discovered Mr. Bonacci’s Jeep and body.

Several others who participated in search parties after Mr. Bonacci was reported missing.

There will be no testimony or trial proceedings Friday.

— REBEKAH BROWN

What’s next

The trial will continue Monday with testimony from:

■Courtlind Davis, a close friend of Mr. Bonacci’s who created a Facebook group to organize search parties.

■Detective Michael Schultz, one of the investigators on the case.

■Daniel Miller, a friend of Mr. Bonacci’s who called 911 after he discovered Mr. Bonacci’s Jeep and body.

Several others who participated in search parties after Mr. Bonacci was reported missing.

There will be no testimony or trial proceedings Friday.

— REBEKAH BROWN

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